


To See You Smile Again (is a blessing)

by Cieleniti



Series: NCT Oneshots [30]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brotherly Love, Doyoung is sick, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Multiple Sclerosis, Recovery, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26304052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cieleniti/pseuds/Cieleniti
Summary: Taeyong wakes up to Donghyuck calling him, and that's when he hears the sobbing coming from someone's room. With a disease that may take away both sight and mobility serving as a challenge, the members of NCT 127 not only help Doyoung recover, but give him hope to perform again.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Everyone
Series: NCT Oneshots [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148876
Comments: 11
Kudos: 162





	To See You Smile Again (is a blessing)

**Author's Note:**

> Hewwo! Doyoung loving hours open! Sorry for any medical inaccuracies and also, be sure to have Without You and Lovely on your playlist before you read this fic :) You'll know when to play them later *wink wink* Happy reading!

“Hyung, hyung!”

Taeyong shot up from under the blankets, his hand fumbling to turn in the bed light. It was dead in the night, the moonlight dimmed by wisps of clouds and haze. His head felt light as if stuffed with cotton, a sign that heh had barely managed to descend into deep slumber.

The light flicked open, and Taeyong squinted at the figure at the door.

Donghyuck was a great actor. He could fake his way out of any situation, change his attitude in a split second to match his needs. The young adult had never looked this terrified, from the way his hands pressed against the doorframe as if supporting his whole weight to the shakiness of his breath.

Taeyong felt his heart clench in fear.

“Hyuckie? What’s going on?” he started to say, but then he heard it. The awful sounds of sobbing and retching coming from the open door. Something in his head seemed to count the seconds as he pulled himself out of bed, bolting straight for the source of voice noise while ordering Donghyuck to call the 10th floor members down.

He passed by the manager who was calling the company, telling them to cancel their schedules for the day. Taeyong couldn’t think, because there was only one member in the room where the screaming was coming from. The door was open and he rushed in, hair a bird’s nest and bedraggled, eyes wide and wild as he fixated on the scene.

“TAEYONG!” Johnny called, his eyes brimming with tears as he held down Doyoung who was curled up on his side, arms wrapped around his stomach and squeezing, the way it anyone would when they were in pain. Doyoung was in _pain_.

Taeyong moved fast, untangling the blankets at his feet and pushing away the pillows to the wall in case the spasms would cause him to bang his limbs. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He had made sure Doyoung was resting after he had collapsed in the practice room a few days ago, saying his joints and muscles felt too weak to move. That was it, he should have gotten better.

But he didn’t.

“What’s happening? Where does it hurt?” Taeyong tried to keep the fear out of his voice, pushing his knees onto the bed to get a better grip on his close friend. God, he hated it when Doyoung cried. It sounded so _raw,_ so _agonizing_ and he felt vulnerable because he couldn’t do _anything_ to help. “Doie, breathe!”

Doyoung’s fingers still clamped on his skin, as if keeping himself together. It was making Taeyong confused and scared out of his mind, trying to make sense of what was happening. Unable to bear to see his member shaking and trembling, Johnny reached out to lift Doyoung across his lap, resting the boy’s head right above his heart. Now that he had him in his arms, Johnny could feel it.

He could feel the spasms of Doyoung’s frail limbs and how violently he was shaking.

Donghyuck ran in with a cup of water and some pills, his hands shaking so badly the water spilled onto his shirt. Taeyong took it gratefully, careful as Johnny gently ushered Doyoung to drink. The first gulp was spat out, dampening Johnny’s shirt as Doyoung choked, Johnny rushing to lift him up and pat his back.

“Oh…oh Doie,” Taeyong comforted as fresh tears spilled down Doyoung’s cheeks, his hands gripping at Johnny’s shirt like a lifeline, a plead to end the pain he was currently in. They shared a fearful look and the buzz of the doorbell indicated that the others had come.

“Hospital,” Johnny breathed out, clutching Doyoung close as Donghyuck ran to answer the doorbell. “I don’t think this is normal.”

Taeyong wanted to scream, to release his frustration and terror but he couldn’t. Not in the moment when it was Doyoung, pure frail Doyoung who was the one trying to curl away from the pain they didn’t even know the source of. He inhaled sharply before rising to his feet, looking out the door as the rest of the members spilled in.

“Get the manager, and get him warm. Take the van.”

Taeyong had been faced with so many challenges as a leader, even if he was hours away and all he could do is hold onto his phone and whisper comforting words into the speaker. But he never felt as helpless as he did then. Doyoung was he priority now, and he had to leave the younger ones behind.

The elder boy gathered Doyoung in his arms before lifting him off the bed, making Doyoung whimper at the discomfort. He was hyperventilating, softly as if fatigue was catching up too fast. Taeyong was scared that he’s stop breathing the moment he fell asleep, and Johnny had caught on too.

“Don’t sleep, Doie. Stay awake for us, yeah?” Johnny said barely over a whisper, watching as Doyoung’s eyes finally opened, glazed over with pain and shock as he gripped Johnny’s shirt tighter. Johnny lowered his head to plant a kiss on Doyoung’s forehead, eyes hard as Taeyong came back from explaining to the others.

Jaehyun’s head peeked in, eyes wide at the sight. “The van is ready. We need to go _now_.”

-

He could still feel Doyoung’s weight on his arms, the sharp breaths that had passed over his collarbone.

Jaehyun was gripping his hand as they looked through the clear window, eyes on the doctor and the syringe he had in his hand. Johnny had his arms around Taeyong’s waist, ready to support the other if he ended up collapsing. He had been adamant on watching, even with a weak stomach and a frail mind.

Being the eldest among them, Johnny had to make sure they weren’t going to break down. Especially when Doyoung was alone in that room, curled up in a fetal position with the back of his shirt pulled up. Taeyong pressed his palms against the glass, eyes wide and filled with tears as the anaesthetic was injected in, and Doyoung clenched his teeth and gripped at the bed railing, his other hand gripping the edge of the mattress hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

Jaehyun bit his bottom lips, eyes flickering to the door as if he could barge in and hold the elder boy in his arms. Life wasn’t a movie. As much as his desperation pestered him to do so, he had to remain calm. Doyoung was blank eyed when the needle went in and the spinal fluid was drawn out. But from afar, they could see the tears that ran down his face, the subtle prayers whispered between shaky breaths.

“I…I can’t watch anymore,” Taeyong stated, twisting out of Johnny’s grasp and cupping his mouth. Jaehyun watched as Johnny ran after him to the toilet, turning back to the glass mirror only when their figures disappeared from sight. The spinal fluid dripped into the container, and Doyoung’s tears dripped onto the mattress.

The least he could do was watch over him from afar, and hope.

Always hope.

-

He had come to consciousness perhaps a minute ago, yet he couldn’t seem to open his eyes.

He could feel the ache in his arms, the numbness in his legs that terrified him. Doyoung had made sure to keep himself healthy, for the sake of his members and for the sake of his own self. Thing apparently didn’t go his way. It had been a while since one of them ended up hospitalized.

Despite the darkness of his own closed eyes, he could hear what was happening. The murkiness gave way to clarity, providing him the smallest of hints on where he was and how he got there. Something told him that opening his eyes would subject him to even more pain, even more than the throbbing behind his eyes.

“I don’t get it,” a familiar voice was saying, tinged with worry and concern. Doyoung could imagine his face, eyes wide and brows furrowed that made Doyoung want to kiss the creases away. Stress never looked great on Taeyong. “He was perfectly fine before! He can’t just…suddenly have this!”

There was a pause before a soft grunt was heard, a hoarse voice following after. “Then you might have caught it in time before it could turn severe. Of course, there’s a possibility of him becoming disabled physically or mentally, but we can only confirm that when he wakes up.”

He could hear sobbing and the sound of a rubbing against a back. Taeyong shouldn’t be crying…he had a schedule, didn’t he? There were more important things to focus on –

A spasm sent his left arm convulsing painfully, and Doyoung let out a cry of pain, curling over to his left to clutch his arm. Hands were suddenly on him, and Doyoung forced his eyes open. The throbbing in his head increased tenfold and he squinted painfully against the light, his eyes struggling to focus.

Smudges of colour moved in his sight, his vision focusing and blurring rapidly like a low quality camera. Someone flipped him onto his back and light was shone in his eyes, blurry as if it were shining through a sketching paper. Terror seized at his heart and his hand travelled to find purchase, instantly gripping the moment a hand slipped into his own.

“Doie…Doyoung?” Hey, were here. Can you feel me? Can you move?”

He _tried_. He tried to move his fingers, to make them press against the others palm but they felt so weak, barely able to move. In fact, his whole body felt fatigued as if he had just finished a day of practice. But he wanted to tell them, to show them that his condition wasn’t worth the worry. He needed to speak, even when he had no idea who was in the room.

“H…yu…ng”

That sounded wrong. Strange even to his own ears, and he heard the sound of frantic questions being asked. The hand in his own squeezed, as if trying to comfort him. It made Doyoung want to cry because he didn’t know what was happening to him He just wanted to rest and go home and hear Taeyong rant about meaningless things the moment he came back from practice.

“We can look into it –“

“He can’t speak properly! There’s something wrong and I –“

“Hyung…calm down. We need to be rational and we’re only confusing Doyoung hyung more. I don’t think he can see us properly.”

Bless Jaehyun for being there. Doyoung was still trying to focus, his vision barely keeping up with his efforts. For now, he muted out the explanations and the worried words of his leader. He was too tired to do anything other than let his body prickle with pins and needles and to bask in the confusion of his own mind.

But first, he had to make one thing clear.

“Home”

-

Jaehyun didn’t trust his hyungs, but not in a bad way.

He simply did not think they were emotionally capable enough to retrieve Doyoung’s meds and leave his side without having another tearful fit. Likewise, the meds swung in the plastic bag he held in his hand as they made their way up to the dorms. Doyoung had found it extremely uncomfortable to be placed in a wheelchair, the shaking and bumps making his aching limbs hurt.

The doctor had told them that multiple sclerosis was a disease that would involve sudden relapses followed by remission. It would mean Doyoung would heal eventually, although there was always the possibility of the next relapse coming sooner than they could think of. Still, Taeyong had told him that it was a better diagnosis than what he feared, no doubt.

The spinal tap procedure had made his own mind think of conditions too scary for him to say aloud.

“Okay, we’re here,” Johnny panted as he gently adjusted the male he was lifting in his arms. Doyoung had become more lucid over time, but still remained fragile. The worst part was his inability to see properly paired up with his incapability to walk in a straight line.

That would soon disappear, but it was still frightening how far the sickness could have gone if they hadn’t caught it earlier.

“Oh…you’re back!” Donghyuck smiled as he opened the door wider. He looked like he hadn’t had a good night sleep, and his hands hugged his beloved white bolster tightly. Over the course of the week they had stayed at the hospital, it was usually Yuta or Taeil who took initiative to send their clothes and food.

He hadn’t realized how much of a toll separation had done to the youngsters.

As Johnny made his way inside, Mark gently guided Donghyuck away from the door and to the dining table where porridge had been set. Jaehyun could smell the MSG, but that was the least of his concerns. At least they were eating properly.

The dorm was quiet as Johnny set Doyoung down onto the long sofa, Taeil moving to position the pillows before setting his lips on Doyoung’s cheek. The younger of the two blinked blearily before sparing him a tired smile. The moment Taeil pulled away, Jungwoo rushed forwards to wrap his arms around Doyoung, sobbing into his neck feebly and Doyoung’s hand rose to pat the back of his head fondly.

“I’m sorry…for scaring you,” his words were slurred, but the meaning was there. It made Jungwoo cry harder until Taeyong gently guided him onto a different sofa, kneeling down to tell him that it was going to be okay, that Doyoung was going to be fine.

“I guess it’s time to start eating real food again,” Yuta grinned, setting himself by Doyoung who squinted slightly to look at him before grinning. “Heard you were on liquid nutrients for a whole week!”

“Not that long,” was the quiet reply but it was shushed as the first scoop of porridge was fed to him. Donghyuck and Mark had set down all the blankets they had and collected their pillows and plushies. The dorm lights were dimmed as they gathered around, snuggling as close to each other as Jaehyun chose the film they should watch.

It was like a telepathic connection had formed between them. They needed this…the time to bask in each other’s presence after a week of nonstop worrying. The CD spun and Jaehyun stepped over tangled limbs to sit closer to Doyoung. However, one look from Doyoung sent him an offer he was all too willing to accept.

Gingerly, he lifted Doyoung up into a sitting position before sliding onto the sofa. He then let Doyoung pillow his head on his thighs. The head made Jaehyun comforted, reminding him that Doyoung was okay and still here. As Jaehyun threaded his fingers through Doyoung’s hair, Yuta smirked at him from his spot on the floor, resulting in a very hard smack to his head being sent by none other than Johnny Suh himself.

Jaehyun had purposely chosen a Disney movie, knowing Doyoung probably couldn’t see the screen. However, the simile on Doyoung’s face indicated that he was enjoying himself. He had probably missed the dorms a lot, considering the second word he had managed to say was “Home”.

“Hyung, another scoop?” he heard Yuta ask and Doyoung lifted his head to allow another mouthful of porridge before setting his head back onto Jaehyun’s lap. Things were slowly falling into place.

-

The manager had surrendered his bed to Taeyong, letting the leader look over the other in the hours that passed.

As much improvement as there was, Taeyong could still feel the lingering dread on his shoulders. For one, Doyoung was having trouble with his bladder. More than once, Taeyong had been woken up by the sound of thumping and quiet sobs.

Taeyong pushed himself off his bed, used to the situation. He walked over to where Doyoung lay, unable to get up and gently scooped the younger boy into his arms before jogging over to the toilet and setting him down on the toilet seat.

He turned away to let Doyoung continue his business, pressing his forehead against the cool wall in an effort to keep himself awake.

“Tae, I’m finished.”

Taeyong turned around, his breath hitching. Doyoung was wiping away the tears streaming down his face with shaky hands. Immediately, Taeyong knelt on one knee to take his hands in his owns, making sure the boy had his eyes on him. His vision had gotten better over the week, but he still saw double.

“Why are you crying?” Taeyong whispered, not liking how his voice was so loud in the bathroom “It’s not your fault, Doie. Sweetheart…you’re trying your best. We both know there’s still a long way to go.”

Doyoung sniffled wetly, bowing his head. “I just feel so helpless, like I’m not doing enough. I can’t even _walk_ and it’s just so –“

He broke off, another wave of sobs closing his throat and Taeyong reached up to hug him, resting his head on Doyoung’s shoulder and letting Doyoung do the same. Doyoung’s words had come out in a rush, tumbling over each other in a way that was so unlike him. But he was trying, Taeyong knew. “It’s frustrating, I know. I can’t tell you that I know how bad it feels because I don’t, but I promise you that we’ll get through this.”

Doyoung let out a broken sound.

“I promise, Doie. I promise you that it’ll end.”

-

  
“UGH!”

The bowl of porridge –plastic and half-filled after one too many occurrences of the same outcome -went flying to the wall, smearing it with the cold sticky mess. A scolding lingered at the tip of Johnny’s tongue but Mark’s hand gripped him hard. It was to be expected.

“Hyung,” Mark started but paused, worried on what he should say. The last few days were a hit or miss with Doyoung’s mood swings. “H-hyuckie cooked that for you.”

True, the youngest had placed it upon himself to cook his own porridge after seeing Taeyong slump onto the sofa every single night. His batch had consisted of carrots and potatoes, both that Doyoung liked. When Johny turned around, he could see a pair of concerned eyes looking at them, and Doyoung did too.

Johnny knew because Doyoung burst into tears a second after, pulling his legs using his hands so he could bury his face into his knees, trying to seem as small as possible. Donghyuck ran from the doorway and went straight to Doyoung, gently pulling his arms apart so he could force them over his shoulders. This also gave him room to snuggle into Doyoung’s chest, whispering “It’s alright”s and “I understand”s over and over like a mantra.

Like those words would bring back the old Doyoung that they had relied on since debut.

Mark walked over and positioned himself at the end of the bed, brushing his fingers through Doyoung’s hair comfortingly while whispering prayers under his breath. He had been doing that often, and it somehow made Johnny feel more comforted, more hopeful that Doyoung’s recovery would go well.

Johnny picked up a crumpled music score and unravelled it, his breath hitching upon realizing it was Coming Home. He looked around at the other balls of paper thrown on the floor. Stress wasn’t going to help out with his immunity, even with anti-depressants helping him along the way.

The crumpled paper stared at him for a long time.

-

Yuta kept the headphones on.

Even when he could hear Doyoung’s sobs and whimpers of “I can’t” through the microphone, he still kept his headphones on. The recording button felt cold under his finger, ready to be pressed. It was Johnny’s idea to do it, to carry out the plan but he was not there.

So all Yuta could do was sit all alone, waiting for the people in the recording room to give him the cue.

“You can, I heard you sing last night,” Taeil was saying as he gently massaged Doyoung’s shoulders. The rumpled and almost ripped score of music was placed on the stand, ready to be sung by the trio. “We’re all rusty on this song.”

“But my voice –“ Doyoung let out a broken sound, his hands trembling as he held the headphones. “Hyung…I can’t.”

“Didn’t we tell each other that we’d support each other’s voices every time we sing?” Jaehyun’s baritone voice was calm and gentle, the owner of such a voice kneeling down so Doyoung could look down at him from his seat. “Hyung, you don’t have to worry. Right, Yuta-hyung?”

Yuta gave a thumbs up and comforting smile, nodding at the microphone. Jaehyun stood up before taking the headphones. Fixing them over Doyoung’s ears. He pressed a kiss to Doyoung’s forehead before standing straight to wear his own, giving Yuta the signal.

The beginning of Without You played and Doyoung’s eyes widened in terror. Yuta leaned forward and sang out his beginning part, sending Doyoung a wink as the elder looked at him with a fond smile. Jaehyun held his hand as he belted out his part, Taeil following suit. As the chorus came, Jaehyun started swaying from side to side with a foolish grin on his face. Following the mood, Taeil started jumping around, singing openly and prompting Doyoung to do so as well.

Yuta saw Doyoung’s eyes brighten, his lips move to start singing with his adorable gummy smile plastered on his face. Jaehyun had one of Doyoung’s hands between both his own while Taeil had the other, both dancing to the rhythm and overdoing their gestures.

The next part came and Jaehyun and Taeil sang as if sending Doyoung a message, a message of love. Yuta ditched his seat and started dancing too, letting Doyoung enjoy himself. When the bridge came and Doyoung’s pat played, he sang his heart out, as if welcoming a friend he had long forgotten.

The last chorus was one of happy tears and belts of joy. Yuta had never seen Doyoung so happy, and it was then he decided that he would do anything in his power to make Doyoung smile again and again.

-

Jungwoo had been adamant on bringing Doyoung to the practice room.

Alone that is. So their manager caved in and drove them off to the company and Jungwoo had lifted Doyoung onto his back and snuck them in like a ninja. To say the very least, Doyoung was very amused by the youngster’s antics.

“Nothing can stop me!” Jungwoo crowed as he side kicked open the door and head butted it close. Doyoung giggled as he was set down on the floor, watching Jungwoo clumsily lock the door and set up the speakers. “I have a lot to do with you today!”

Doyoung watched fondly as Jungwoo scrolled through his phone for the correct song, a wide grin on his face. “Woo, you do realize I can’t dance, right?”

“Right you are!” came the enthusiastic answer. He grinned a he pressed the song, running over to Doyoung like an innocent puppy before hefting him off the floor. Doyoung winced slightly as he felt his feet settle on the floor, his legs trembling slightly.

Then the song Lovely by Billie Eilish and Khaled played, and he looked up at Jungwoo with emotional eyes, his lips parted as the familiar memory made energy surge through his limbs.

“Keep your eyes on me, hyung,” Jungwoo said, gently placing Doyoung’s hand on his hip and shoulder before doing the same. Doyoung gripped them tightly, as he felt his back ache, but Jungwoo’s hand was secure on his waist.

Realizing that Doyoung as struggling, he pulled Doyoung’s hands around his neck instead, placing both his own on Doyoung’s waist. Slowly, they began to sway to the song, feeling the gentle beats mimic their movements.

_But now I know someday I’ll make it out of here_

_Even if it takes all night or a hundred years_

Tears brimmed at the corner of Doyoung’s eyes as the words resonated deep inside him. Jungwoo still had that beautiful smile on his face, eyes bright as he gazed down at his hyung.

“Are you enjoying yourself, hyung?” came the question, spoken softly as their faces were so close that they could feel each other’s breaths against each other’s cheeks. “I wanted to feel alive.”

Doyoung exhaled, his face spread in a wide smile that made Jungwoo melt inside. “I feel alive, thanks to you. All of you.”

His knees buckled and he fell forward into Jungwoo’s steady grip. Giggling, Jungwoo set both of them down so Doyoung was now resting on his stomach. They stayed that way, staring into space as the room echoed with the last of the song.

-

“Morning, children”

“Morning Taeyong-hyung”

“Morning, idiots”

“Morning, fool”

_“Morning, Yongie,”_

Taeyong paused his stirring, blinking his eyes blearily as they fixated on the male that stood by himself, behind the other members who were looking at Taeyong with overjoyed faces. Doyoung smiled brightly, brighter than Taeyong had ever seen him as he waved.

He wasn’t crying, he wasn’t in anyone’s arms.

“Doie!” he breathed through broken sobs, abandoning his soup and running up to his best friend, taking him in his arms and sobbing into his shoulder. “Oh…Doie, you’re walking!”

“I am, Yongie,” Doyoung replied fondly, pulling away so he could brush away Taeyong’s tears of overwhelming happiness. “We made it. Just like you promised.”

That only made the leader sob harder and the dorm erupted into cheers and whistles. Sure, there was still a long way to go, but the end was closer than ever. Doyoung had regained his smile, and he could walk.

“I’m so proud of you, Doie.” Taeyong sobbed wetly, “We made it.”

Doyoung leaned forward to press a kiss to Taeyong’s nose, his eyes bright with unshed tears. “Yes, Yongie. We did.”

**Author's Note:**

> You finished it! This fic gave me happiness as I wrote the scenes while listening to the songs. Doyoung is such an adorable person and so lovable! Do comment what you feel because I get so happy when people comment :) See you at the next One -Shot! Oh, this is the 49th fic? What should be number 50? Hahaha see you~
> 
>   
> [twt](https://twitter.com/Skydancer_8?s=09) | [CC](https://curiouscat.me/Skydancer_8)


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